Front Range Eco-Social Solutions: A Bioneers Network Event: Full Schedule

8:30am MST

Registration

Friday February 9, 2018 8:30am - 6:00pm MST
SEEC Lobby 4001 Discovery Dr, Boulder, CO 80303

Networking and Nourishment Break

9:00am MST

Opening Remarks by Kenny Ausubel

Open Remarks

Speakers

Kenny Ausubel

Kenny Ausubel, CEO and founder (in 1990) of Bioneers, is an award-winning social entrepreneur, journalist, author and filmmaker. Co-founder and first CEO of the organic seed company, Seeds of Change, his film (and companion book) Hoxsey: When Healing Becomes a Crime helped influence... Read More →

Friday February 9, 2018 9:00am - 9:15am MST
SEEC Auditorium 4001 Discovery Drive

Broadcast National Plenary

9:15am MST

Traction: The Clean Energy Revolution

The exponential market growth of clean energy and the concurrent decline of fossil fuels foretell a radically different energy future. It's much closer than most people realize. Thomas Van Dyck, acclaimed socially responsible investment pathfinder and activist co-founder of the Divest-Invest movement, shows how the clean energy transformation is gaining inexorable momentum with big business and governments worldwide. While technological advances have already made clean energy cost-competitive, Thomas shows how we can accelerate the transition and overcome the desperate last stand of the fossil fuel political-industrial complex.

Speakers

Thomas Van Dyck

Thomas Van Dyck, CIMA®, a Managing Director/Financial Advisor with the SRI Wealth Management Group at RBC Wealth Management, has been a leader in socially responsible investing for 30+ years. He consults on $1.8 billion in institutional and individual client assets, incorporating... Read More →

Friday February 9, 2018 9:15am - 9:40am MST
SEEC Auditorium 4001 Discovery Drive

Broadcast National Plenary

9:40am MST

Radical Inclusions: Cities, Technology and the Power of Inclusive Thinking

Due to a neuro-muscular condition, Victor Pineda stopped walking when he was five. By high school, he needed a machine to help him breathe. This life experience shaped his work and passions, and he became a leading global human rights advocate, scholar and expert on inclusive urban development. He'll share the groundbreaking work cities, technology companies and universities are doing to re-imagine urban spaces and unlock our collective potential.

Speakers

Victor Pineda

Victor Pineda, Ph.D., is an urban planner, social entrepreneur, speaker, and globally recognized disability rights advocate. He is the President of World Enabled and of The Global Alliance on Accessible Technologies and Environments (GAATES), the leading international organization... Read More →

Friday February 9, 2018 9:40am - 9:57am MST
SEEC Auditorium 4001 Discovery Drive

Broadcast National Plenary

9:58am MST

Truth to Power: Taking on Coal & Nuclear Domination

How can we take on the most powerful pillar of the status quo—the fossil fuel industry? And how can we, despite these challenging times, find and maintain the necessary courage, steadfastness, and stamina to see our way through to victory? How do we organize and build effective coalitions? Mariel Nanasi, Executive Director of the courageous New Mexico non-profit, New Energy Economy, shares insights drawn from her longtime leading role in confronting the electric utility monopoly, the most powerful corporation in her state. Mariel is an inspiring dynamo who lives by the motto: "Activism is the antidote to despair.”

Speakers

Mariel Nanasi

Mariel Nanasi, a renowned, highly experienced civil rights and criminal defense attorney and a zealous organizer, is the Executive Director and President of the New Mexico-based non-profit, New Energy Economy, which works to protect communities from the social, economic, health, and... Read More →

Friday February 9, 2018 9:58am - 10:25am MST
SEEC Auditorium 4001 Discovery Drive

Broadcast National Plenary

10:25am MST

Welcome

Longtime Boulder resident and filmmaker Ava Hamilton will present an informal talk offering her personal view of local history as an Arapaho woman. Ava is a descendant of Chief Little Raven. She will recognize the people who have lived here throughout the centuries and who left no environmental disturbances. They left us clean air, clean water, a land of bounty. She will talk about the history of Arapaho in this area and how we see this as our home. Ava will acknowledge how we are all related, that we are not separate from any living things, that we are all responsible for what happens to our environment and that we must work harder to take care of these gifts of life, including our own.

Speakers

Ava Hamilton

Arapaho

Ava Hamilton (Arapaho) is an independent documentary filmmaker, writer and historian. Ava is currently active with Right Relationship with Native Peoples – Boulder which is working with local governments and organizations to help all Boulder Valley residents learn about the Native... Read More →

Friday February 9, 2018 10:25am - 10:45am MST
SEEC Auditorium 4001 Discovery Drive

Live Local Plenary

11:00am MST

Bring Death Home, Naturally

When deathcare can happen naturally, and in community, we reclaim a sacred rite and lighten our final footprints. The United States is currently experiencing a resurgence of interest in reconnecting to the cycle of life through green and family-led deathcare. The "home funeral" movement not only encourages families to care for their dead in their own way, creating their own meaningful rituals, but also embraces a green approach to how we do that. This means natural, biodegradable products and non-invasive, gentle, loving care of the dead. It also means practices like green burial where the body is returned to the earth without toxic chemicals and with minimal resource usage. Natural Transitions has been educating families, offering workshops and publishing a natural death magazine since 2003. Join us for a brief theatrical presentation about going out green, an overview of our recent funeral history and the most natural ways to care for our loved-ones at death while taking care of ourselves as the caregivers.

Speakers

Annalouiza Armendariz

Annalouiza Armendariz is a bilingual educator, long-time hospice volunteer, herbalist and shaman. Her full bio will be available soon.

Latane Hill

Green Burial Boulder County

Latané Hill is a volunteer for Natural Transitions’ latest initiative; Green Burial Boulder County. As a mother, Certified Educator of Infant Massage and student of early childhood education, Latané has spent many years studying the human process of incarnation, embodiment, and... Read More →

Karen van Vuuren

Karen van Vuuren is a former broadcast news journalist and documentary film-maker.. She is also the founder and executive director of Natural Transitions, a non-profit organization providing education about conscious, holistic approaches to end of life, including after-death care... Read More →

Daniel Ziskin

Daniel Ziskin. was born and raised in southern New Jersey and now lives nearly 2000 miles away in Boulder, CO. He obtained a PhD in physics in 1993, studying climate change. He is both a professional Earth scientist and an ardent environmentalist. He has been active with Natural Transitions... Read More →

Diana Zucco

Diana Zucco is a visual artist in Boulder, CO. A life-changing experience at the open-air funeral pyre in Crestone, Colorado initiated her passion about community-led death care and green burial practices.

Friday February 9, 2018 11:00am - 12:30pm MST
SEEC N128

Session

11:00am MST

Nuclear Guardianship at Rocky Flats: Nonviolence and Civil Disobedience to Empower Communities, Strengthen a Movement, and Effectively Organize*

In this session we will focus on two different, yet interconnected topics: 1) nuclear guardianship and 2) nonviolent action. The former nuclear weapons facility at Rocky Flats left behind a mess of contaminants, including plutonium, uranium, and more, which threaten our health as citizens living in proximity to the Superfund Site. Rocky Flats continues to be a controversial issue on the Front Range; it is our duty to keep people safe from the dangers of plutonium. In this workshop we will explore the depths of nonviolence and civil disobedience to empower communities, create and strengthen a movement, and organize effectively. Education and activism, as a community, have the power to create real change for the people. We will practice different methods of nonviolence and civil disobedience to find an approach that works for you. There will be role play and interactive opportunities.

Speakers

Chris Allred

Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center

Chris Allred, Nuclear Guardianship and Outreach Coordinator, has been involved with the Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center since 2010. Chris enjoys working together with the team of collectives at RMPJC, including Nuclear Guardianship, Economic Justice, Global Peace, Social Justice... Read More →

Brittany Gutermuth

Communication and Fundraising Coordinator, Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center

Brittany Gutermuth, Communications and Fundraising Coordinator at Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center, commits her time and energy advocating for environmental, social, and economic justice. Brittany is the coordinator of the RMPJC Social Justice Collective, which is dedicated... Read More →

Judith Mohling

Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center

Judith Mohling, 45 years as a peace and anti-nuclear activist, 40 years as a licensed professional counselor, 54 years as a mom of two children, and now a grandmother of three grandchildren. Judith is an activist and was involved with shutting down the Rocky Flats Nuclear Weapons... Read More →

LeRoy Moore

Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center

LeRoy Moore, PhD, is a writer and former academic, who since 1979 has focused on public health and environmental issues related to the now defunct Rocky Flats nuclear bomb factory near Denver. A founder of the Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center, he worked successfully with others... Read More →

Dennis White

Dennis White has been involved with social justice and spiritual search since the 1960’s. He came to Boulder in 1973 from San Francisco Zen Center to be a student of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. Dennis ran the Naropa ChildCare Center in the mid-70/s, and has taught or mentored at Naropa... Read More →

Friday February 9, 2018 11:00am - 12:30pm MST
SEEC S125

Session

11:00am MST

Participation Towards a More Just Charitable System

How can people shape systems that affect their access to basic needs and rights like food, housing, education, and legal protection? In this workshop, we will explore the role of nonprofits and other agencies in systems of basic access, and how creating participatory structures would create a more socially just charitable system.

Speakers

Hayden Dansky

Boulder Food Rescue

Hayden Dansky sees food as a tool for relationships and change. They are a cofounder and the Executive Director of Boulder Food Rescue, which seeks to increase access to healthy food and create a more just food system. Hayden also works to fundraise money for grassroots social and... Read More →

Lindsey Loberg

Boulder Food Rescue

Lindsey Loberg first became involved with food justice work as a high school teacher in Milwaukee, WI, facilitating student projects that explored food systems, food access, food waste, and food sovereignty. Food touches everything and everybody, and Lindsey loves using food as a... Read More →

Friday February 9, 2018 11:00am - 12:30pm MST
SEEC N129

Session

11:00am MST

Permaculture: What's Love Got to Do With It? Lessons from Zazu Dreams

"Permaculture: What's Love Got to Do With It? Lessons from Zazu Dreams" is based on the critically acclaimed 2017 book, Zazu Dreams: Between the Scarab and the Dung Beetle, A Cautionary Fable for the Anthropocene Era. Author, Dr. Cara Judea Alhadeff, and Rob Mies, Founder and Executive Director of the Organization for Bat Conservation, will perform excerpts that challenge how our consumer-addicted convenience-culture coopts “sustainability.” Rooted in environmental science and cross-cultural storytelling, this is a tale of decolonization and climate justice. Big Pharma, Big Oil, and Agribusiness giants stalk planet Earth while the main character, a Sephardic Arab-Jewish boy, confronts environmental racism—learning from symbiotic relationships among humans and within the natural world. This creative non-fiction performance will include live Ladino (Arabic-Hebrew and Spanish) music and lush visuals.

Speakers

Cara Alhadeff

Jews of the Earth

Dr. Cara Judea Alhadeff, Executive Director of Jews Of The Earth (JOTE), engages embodied feminist theory, publishing essays in philosophy, art, gender, ethnic, and cultural studies’ journals and anthologies. Alhadeff has exhibited her photographs and performance videos internationally... Read More →

Rob Mies

Conservation Biologist, RobMies.com

Rob Mies, Founder and Executive Director of the Organization for Bat Conservation, has been an outspoken advocate for bat conservation in the U.S. for over 25 years. Biodiversity and Bat Ecologist, Mies is the author the books Bats A to Z and Understanding Bats, the producer of... Read More →

Friday February 9, 2018 11:00am - 12:30pm MST
SEEC S228

Session

12:30pm MST

Lunch

Indian lunch buffet $10. Amenable to most dietary restrictions (vegan, vegetarian, gluten free). We recommend purchasing lunch buffet tickets in advance as we pre-order planned quantities. Limited availability for on-site purchase. Other options: SEEC Cafe is open or bring your own bag lunch.

Friday February 9, 2018 12:30pm - 1:30pm MST
SEEC Auditorium 4001 Discovery Drive

Networking and Nourishment Break

12:30pm MST

Optional Lunch Discussion Tables

Join a hosted discussion table. Look for signs on tables in room 120 and in north dining hall.
Topic- Host:

Nuclear Guardianship- Brittany Gutermuth; LeRoy Moore; Judith Mohling; Chris Allred
Indigenous Land Management- Tiffany Lovato, Rick Garcia and Liberty Shellman- Woodbine Ecology Center
Embodied Democracy- Cara Judea Alhadeff & Rob Mies
High performance natural building- Frank Wetenkamp
Natural Deathcare Discussion- Daniel Ziskin and Natural Deathcare Team
How can one person reconnect our food system?- David Laskarzewski
Placemaking- City Repair Boulder

Friday February 9, 2018 12:30pm - 1:30pm MST
SEEC Auditorium 4001 Discovery Drive

Networking and Nourishment Break

1:30pm MST

A Sense of Place: Stories from the Land

Together we will explore how a place-based approach affected both cultural and ecological restoration on a 60 acre piece of land. Stories from the land will take us through the history of Woodbine Ecology Center, both past and present, and dig up the tales that have inspired change. As we virtually walk the land we will visit different sites and learn about sustainability practices, human healing, animal reintroduction, survival techniques, movement strategy, solidarity practices, and much more.

Speakers

Robert Chanate

Woodbine Ecology Center

Robert Chanate is a member of the Kiowa Nation and has lived in Denver, Colorado for several years. He is a volunteer for various Native organizations in which his support role differs based on the groups mission. Some of this work includes Native Youth leadership development, grassroots... Read More →

Rick Garcia

Facility Manager, Woodbine Ecology Center

Rick was born in Denver and raised in Boulder during the Chicano Rights Movement, which was and continues to be a major influence in his life and his social justice work. He attended the University of Colorado Boulder and also has 10+ years of Urban Farming experience as a practitioner... Read More →

Tiffany Lovato

Ecocultural Restoration Coordinator, Woodbine Ecology Center

Liberty Shellman

Executive Director, Woodbine Ecology Center

Generous with her time and always ready to commit, Liberty has been involved with dozens of nonprofits and small community groups throughout her professional career. She graduated from Metropolitan State University with a BA in Political Science and a BFA in Photography. Before coming... Read More →

Friday February 9, 2018 1:30pm - 2:55pm MST
SEEC S125

Session

1:30pm MST

Food for the Urban Evolution~ A Recipe for Change

“Teamwork makes the dream work.” And through the power of collaboration, individuals and organizations can offer innovative options for improving the evolving food systems, creating useful places from regular spaces. By joining together for a purpose, we create more from less and fill the gaps for building our localized food systems. At the University of Colorado in Boulder, students and community members have unified, Collaboration for Local Solutions has come together to design and install a living landscape at the Sustainability Energy and Environment Complex (SEEC), hosting perennial plants, annual plants, fruit trees, berries, herbs, and pollinator plants. By creating a food-producing learning landscape within a national hub for learning and innovation, we are encouraging creative thinking, education, stewardship of the Earth, and healthy lifestyle, while supplying the onsite SEEC Café with fresh nutritious produce. Just up the road in Denver, Jovial Concepts has been able to galvanize neighborhoods around food production through partnerships with homeowners in the metro Denver area. By transforming lawns into community garden space, Jovial is able to provide thousands of pounds of fresh, local, produce for food banks and participating homeowners on a yearly basis. Similarly, UpRoot Colorado, has been able to provide thousands of pounds of fresh produce to food banks throughout the state, by rescuing food that is left on farm fields for various reasons. They are a fledgling social enterprise launched in the fall of 2016, following Feeding 5000 Front Range, and are working to reduce both on-farm food loss and food insecurity in Colorado through gleaning, experiential education, and nonpartisan legislation. Join Mike Spade, David Laskarzewski, Michael Gilmore, Swapnil Kumar, James Edwards, & hosted by Robin E White. Come hear the inspiring stories and see how you can get involved or start a movement in your community, and bring home a “recipe” you will create in collaboration during the session. Bon Appétit.

Speakers

James Edwards

Educator & Facilitator

James M. Edwards is an ecosocial designer working with individuals, organizations, and communities to align values with action for the purpose of bringing humanity into harmony with nature and each other. He has spent over 25 years as an educator, facilitator, and systems designer... Read More →

Michael Gilmore

Michael Gilmore is a recent graduate from the University of Colorado and the INVST Community Leadership Program. In his time at CU and in the INVST Program he focused on issues of food access and education and began promoting the idea of urban agriculture. He, along with several others... Read More →

Swapnil Kumar

Swapnil Kumar, a Masters student at University of Colorado Boulder is an unflinching optimist and an arduous mechanical engineer. He envisions to bring about a positive change in the society, to make the world sustainable and believes technology can be the biggest facilitator to overcome... Read More →

David Laskarzewski

Co-founder, UpRoot Colorado

Dave was on the organizing team for Feeding the 5000 Front Range and is co-organizer of Food-1-1, a statewide coalition working to reduce food waste in Colorado. Before co-founding UpRoot Colorado, he worked with purpose-driven organizations and startups writing content and implementing... Read More →

Mike Spade

Director, Plant The Seed Project

Mike leads the Plant The Seed Project for Jovial Concepts. While in college, he helped to start the Stony Brook Heights Rooftop Farm which provided produce for patients with dietary restrictions. He has worked with several government entities and nonprofits in Colorado and otherwise... Read More →

Friday February 9, 2018 1:30pm - 2:55pm MST
SEEC S228

Session

1:30pm MST

Making the Invisible Visible: Race, Environment and Embodied Knowing

Socio-political and ecological crises and racial and gender-based oppression can very often become internalized in our bodies as forms of trauma – physical, psychological and emotional. We’ll explore how to work to understand and begin to address these deep traumas within ourselves and in our work with others. With educators at Naropa University Jeanine Canty, Ph.D., editor of Ecological and Social Healing: Multicultural Women’s Voices, and Ramon Parish

Speakers

Jeanine Canty

Core Professor and Chair, Environmental Studies, Naropa University

Jeanine Canty, PhD, professor and chair, Environmental Studies BA and MA Resilient Leadership programs, Naropa University. Jeanine M. Canty, PhD, is a professor and chair of the Environmental Studies Department at Naropa University, a Buddhist inspired institution. A lover of nature... Read More →

Ramon Parish

Assistant Professor of interdisciplinary studies, Naropa and Movement Strategy Center

Ramon Gabrieloff-Parish serves as an assistant professor of Interdisciplinary Studies at Naropa University. His scholarly, contemplative, creative and community interests range from rites of passage, embodiment, creative ceremony, food and environmental justice, counter-cultural histories... Read More →

Friday February 9, 2018 1:30pm - 2:55pm MST
SEEC N128

Session

1:30pm MST

The Importance and Joy of "Being in the Dark": How light can blind us and fear can enlighten us

What happens when we can no longer see the stars? If we lose our ability to experience dark skies, we lose the ability to experience the darkness within - the richness of the shadow, one of our greatest teachers. We lose our basic instinctual sense of place in the Universe. We as a society, we are becoming afraid of the dark and think if we light up our streets and neighborhoods we are safer, but in fact we become more fearful—fearful of who and what we do not know. Light pollution, coming from commercial properties, offices, factories, street lights, sporting venues, has been linked to increasing energy consumption, disrupting ecosystems and wildlife, harming human health and negatively affecting crime and safety. Together, we will explore the psychological, physical, emotional and spiritual effects of light pollution and the joy of dark skies through lecture, story, guided exercises and poetry. Presented by Sherry Ellms of Naropa University.

Speakers

Sherry Ellms

Naropa University

Sherry Ellms, Associate Professor in the Environmental/Resilient Leadership Program at Naropa University, has led nature-based retreats, taught mindfulness meditation programs in spiritual and secular settings for 30 years. She has trained with Joanna Macy, the School of Lost Borders... Read More →

Friday February 9, 2018 1:30pm - 2:55pm MST
SEEC N129

Session

3:15pm MST

Green Home Design and Natural Building Materials

Learn about the state-of-the-art approaches from two of the Rocky Mountain Region's leading green residential design-build firms. Learn how to create extreme green custom homes and about using natural building materials and green design in remodels and renovations. From multiple in-depth case studies, find out how cutting-edge sustainability, beauty and functionality can optimally come together in a custom home. Explore how we can think beyond net zero and lessen carbon impact in home-building.

Speakers

Scott Rodwin

Owner, Radiance Power yoga

Scott graduated from Cornell University in 1991 and established his 13 person green design/build firm, Rodwin Architecture in 1999. The firm has turned out some of the greenest custom homes in the nation including multiple LEED Platinum, Net-Zero Energy and even “regenerative... Read More →

Frank Wetenkamp

Co-Owner, Living Craft

Frank grew up in Massachusetts where his building career began. At age 12 he was building boardwalks with the Youth Conservation Corps. Frank started working as a carpenter’s assistant at age 14, and kept that job every summer through his sophomore year of college. Frank attended... Read More →

Friday February 9, 2018 3:15pm - 4:45pm MST
SEEC N128

Session

3:15pm MST

I'm Right You're Wrong: Mental Frames and Social Change

“Mental frames” are a set of concepts and theoretical perspectives on how individuals, groups and societies organize, perceive and communicate about the world around them. An individual’s mental frame influences their perception — people with different frames will see the same facts differently. Increasingly, mental frames are constraining social communication and problem solving. Frames are filters to take in information selectively, process information in certain ways, discourage entire schools of thought, and discredit large swaths of the population. None of this serves us well, yet stepping outside our mental frames is hard. To do it successfully, we need to understand why we must, and have simple tools to support doing so. In this session, we explore several examples of where mental frames are constraining resilient action in Boulder and beyond, highlight ways that stepping out of those frames will support social change, and discuss simple tools to support opening ourselves to other viewpoints.

Speakers

Chris Allan

Executive Director, Ajabu Advisors

Chris Allan is a consultant on international environmental and development programming. He has thirty years’ experience in community development and environmental protection with Ajabu Advisors, the Institute for Social and Environmental Transition, Environmental Health Fund, Global... Read More →

Friday February 9, 2018 3:15pm - 4:45pm MST
SEEC S228

Session

3:15pm MST

Roots of Injustice, Seeds of Change: Toward Right Relationship with Native Peoples

The Toward Right Relationship project offers this workshop in response to calls
from Indigenous leaders at the United Nations and the World Council of Churches.
The 2-hour exercise traces the historic and ongoing impacts of the Doctrine of
Discovery, the 15th-century justification for European subjugation of non-Christian
peoples. Our goal is to raise our level of knowledge and concern about these impacts,
recognize them in ourselves and our institutions, and explore how we can begin to
take actions toward “right relationship.” We provide a Resource Kit with suggestions
for continued study, reflection, and action.

In the Doctrine of Discovery, we find the roots of injustice. In the U.N.
Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, we find the seeds of change. How can
we nurture these seeds to bring forth the fruits of right relationship among all peoples?

Speakers

Jerilyn DeCoteau

Turtle Mountain Chippewa

Jerilyn Decoteau is a Juris Doctor who currently resides in Eldorado Springs, Colorado. She is a self-employed, enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians. Her professional interests include Indian Law and Policy, Human Rights, Tribal Courts, and boarding schools... Read More →

Ava Hamilton

Arapaho

Friday February 9, 2018 3:15pm - 4:45pm MST
SEEC 120C

Session

3:15pm MST

Water Bodies: An Interactive Journey with Artists and Engineers

Follow a water adventure through the body, from nature into our cities, using movement, dance, music and engineering. Embody and explore how water moves through natural and unnatural systems. Conclude with a somatic reflection on personal and communal water use now and generate an embodied vision for our future.

Speakers

Allison Caw

Spacious Being

Allison Caw is a performing artist, healer, vocalist, writer and meditator. She earned an MFA from Naropa University and is a 2nd Degree Reiki Practitioner in the Usui tradition. The evolution of human consciousness as a catalyst for lasting change and its role in eco/social justice... Read More →

Greg Rulifson

Executive Branch, S&T Policy Fellowships

As a structural engineer, I hope to use my understanding of risks, earthquakes, and buildings to help make communities safer. I have taught in a Humanitarian Engineering program, worked as a structural engineer, and researched how engineering students think about social responsibility... Read More →

Maren Waldman

Maren Waldman ~ dance & healing arts

Maren Waldman is a dance artist, educator, and entrepreneur who has studied the body in motion for over two decades. Maren is active with her current project, Postcards to the Earth (www.postcardstotheearth.com), and Global Water Dances, an international, biennial celebration of water... Read More →

Friday February 9, 2018 3:15pm - 4:45pm MST
SEEC S125

Session

5:00pm MST

The Chicano Movement is an Environmental Movement! Stories from Decades of Effective Change-Making

A proud Chicana born on the eastside of Denver, Nita credits her father’s influence for steering her course in the world, down a path for social justice and human rights. She also credits the influence of her mother, Geraldine Gonzales, her grandmother and her tías. With such strong philosophical and intellectual influences, Nita became a teacher and a community activist. She served as president/CEO of the national model for Chicano/Mexicano and indigenous education at Escuela Tlatelolco Centro de Estudios, co-founded with her father. Her involvement in the Denver and Colorado communities far transcends the four-decade legacy of Escuela Tlatelolco. As a community organizer, Nita founded of the Denver Youth Employment and Education Task Force and the Chicano/Mexicano Education Coalition and co-founded the Colorado Latino Forum. Ms. Gonzales is the recipient of many awards and honors for her work in educational and community empowerment, including Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce Top 25 Most Powerful Women in Denver and the first Colorado Latina named one of President Obama’s Champions for Change.

Speakers

Nita Gonzales

Friday February 9, 2018 5:00pm - 5:30pm MST
SEEC Auditorium 4001 Discovery Drive

Live Local Plenary

5:30pm MST

Democracy Now!: Covering the Movements Changing America

The award-winning journalist Amy Goodman, host of that pillar of progressive media Democracy Now!, is without doubt the most indispensable voice reporting with urgent immediacy on the front lines of the most critical struggles facing our nation and world. She will speak about the increased threats to freedom of the press and the crucial importance of truly independent media to hold those in power accountable. In more than 20 years of reporting, Democracy Now! has covered the social movements long ignored by the corporate media, and that are now forming the groundswell of opposition to the Trump administration.

Speakers

Amy Goodman

Amy Goodman, host and Executive Producer of Democracy Now!, an award-winning news program airing on over 1,400 public TV and radio stations worldwide, has won countless prestigious awards, including an I.F. Stone Medal for Journalistic Independence Lifetime Achievement Award and the... Read More →

Friday February 9, 2018 5:30pm - 6:00pm MST
SEEC Auditorium 4001 Discovery Drive

Broadcast National Plenary

6:00pm MST

A New "We The People" For a Sustainable Future

Heather McGhee, President of Demos, a public policy organization working for an America where we all have an equal say in our democracy and an equal chance in our economy, will depict how deep democracy is the only solution to the crises of inequality and climate change, and how the changing demos -- people -- of America can rise to meet this moment. A thought leader on the national stage, Heather, among her many accomplishments, helped shape key provisions of the now threatened Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.

Speakers

Heather McGee

Heather C. McGhee, President of Demos, a public policy organization working for an America where we all have an equal say in our democracy and an equal chance in our economy, is an award-winning thought leader on the national stage whose writing and research appear in numerous outlets... Read More →

Friday February 9, 2018 6:00pm - 6:25pm MST
SEEC Auditorium 4001 Discovery Drive

Broadcast National Plenary

6:25pm MST

The Fight for a Free, Fair and Open Internet

According to journalist, blogger, “creative commons” advocate, Electronic Frontier Foundation Fellow, and award-winning science fiction author Cory Doctorow, the fight for a free, fair and open Internet isn’t the most important fight on the planet, but you can’t win any of the other major battles without it.Although the Net is the nervous system of the 21st century, so far we have misunderstood and mismanaged it and made it susceptible to capture by the powerful and corrupt. Cory will share his strategies to reclaim the global lifeline that should belong to all of us.

Speakers

Cory Doctorow

Cory Doctorow, a science fiction writer, leading open Internet activist, journalist and blogger (co-editor of boingboing.net) as well as an author of other works, including several YA and adult novels and a nonfiction business book (Information Doesn’t Want to Be Free), works for... Read More →

Friday February 9, 2018 6:25pm - 6:50pm MST
SEEC Auditorium 4001 Discovery Drive

Broadcast National Plenary

7:30pm MST

Optional Off-Site Community Discussion Dinner

Join fellow FRESS participants over dinner. Participants responsible for purchasing their own food and drink. The location is: FATE Brewing Co. 1600 38th St. One block west of Foothills on Arapaho Ave.

Friday February 9, 2018 7:30pm - 8:30pm MST
TBA

Networking and Nourishment Break

8:30am MST

Registration

Saturday February 10, 2018 8:30am - 6:00pm MST
SEEC Lobby 4001 Discovery Dr, Boulder, CO 80303

Networking and Nourishment Break

9:00am MST

Opening Remarks by Nina Simons

Opening Remarks

Speakers

Nina Simons

Nina Simons, co-founder of Bioneers and founding Director of its Everywoman's Leadership program (which includes "Cultivating Women's Leadership” intensives and CoMadres retreats), co-edited the anthology book, Moonrise: The Power of Women Leading from the Heart. An award-winning... Read More →

Saturday February 10, 2018 9:00am - 9:18am MST
SEEC Auditorium 4001 Discovery Drive

Broadcast National Plenary

9:00am MST

Children's Program- CANCELLED

WE HAVE DECIDED TO CANCEL THE FORMAL KIDS PROGRAM FOR 2018 DUE TO LOW ADVANCE REGISTRATION. AN AREA WITH PARENT-ACCOMPANIED KIDS ACTIVITES IS BEING ORGANIZED.
Full Day Children's Program: This year, The Kiva Center will produce an on-site children's program for children of conference participants. The Kiva Center designed the program to give the children an experience that complements the purpose of the conference and it will focus on exploring cultures around the world through traditional living skills as solutions to pressing environmental issues. The children will have options for indoor and outdoor activities that will include weaving, making paints/dyes, songs, arts & crafts, and more. Give your children the chance to experience a kids-friendly version of the Front Range Eco-Social Solutions Conference! The children's program runs Saturday, February 10, 9am-5pm for children ages 5 and up. Cost is $50/child. Sign up with your main registration. Sibling discount: 10% off all registration fees for multiple related children. Advance registration by February 5th is required for Kids' Program. Space is limited.

Saturday February 10, 2018 9:00am - 5:00pm MST
SEEC 4001 Discovery Dr, Boulder, CO 80303

Children's Program

9:19am MST

Carbon Farming

Sequestering carbon from the atmosphere back into the soil is emerging as among the top biological strategies to radically mitigate climate disruption on large scales. It’s also a rapidly growing movement among farmers across the country, including in conservative communities – because it IS conservative… of the land and soil. John and Calla Rose are visionary leaders of the Marin Carbon Project, a gold standard of carbon farming research demonstrations. John is co-owner (with his wife Peggy Rathmann) of the Nicasio Native Grass Ranch. Calla Rose, former Fellow with the Rocky Mountain Institute, has led policy and climate action programs with Aspen, CO and San Francisco, CA, and is a leading advocate for and expert on agricultural carbon sequestration.

Speakers

Calla Rose Ostrander

Calla Rose Ostrander, a strategic advisor/consultant/activist, works with leaders in California and the western U.S. to help re-balance the planet’s carbon cycle. Prior to her work with the California Carbon Campaign, she worked for 10 years in municipal climate policy for the cities... Read More →

John Wick

John Wick, co-owner with his wife, Peggy Rathmann, of the Nicasio Native Grass Ranch, an exemplary eco-conscious enterprise, is co-founder of and tireless spokesperson for the cutting-edge Marin Carbon Project, which seeks to enhance carbon sequestration in rangeland, agricultural... Read More →

Saturday February 10, 2018 9:19am - 9:39am MST
SEEC Auditorium 4001 Discovery Drive

Broadcast National Plenary

9:40am MST

Beyond the Anthropo-Scene

The renowned "anthropologist under Amazonian influence" and indigenous rights activist Jeremy Narby, author of such classics as The Cosmic Serpent and Intelligence in Nature, considers the intelligence of living beings and wrestles with his own culture's anthropocentric concepts. In his view, constantly affirming the centrality of humans gets in the way of respectful living in the biosphere. Rethinking human-centered concepts such as "nature" and "anthropocene" can cast light on our relationship with the living world. Because the words we use influence how we think, we gain from examining them with care.

Speakers

Jeremy Narby

Jeremy Narby, Ph.D., an anthropologist who has been working as Amazonian Projects Coordinator for the Swiss NGO “Nouvelle Planète” since 1990, backing initiatives of Amazonian indigenous organizations in land titling, bilingual and intercultural education, environmental monitoring... Read More →

Saturday February 10, 2018 9:40am - 10:01am MST
SEEC Auditorium 4001 Discovery Drive

Broadcast National Plenary

10:02am MST

Cultural Resiliences to Strengthen Our Communities and Defend the Earth

Kandi Mossett (Mandan/Hidatsa/Arikara), Native Energy and Climate Campaign Organizer for the Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN), has emerged as a leading voice in the fight against environmental racism at Standing Rock and beyond. Kandi will share the powerful story of how her community drew on its cultural resilience to resist fracking in North Dakota, and how the re-assertion of tribal sovereignty, revitalization of language and restoration of traditional foodways can point the way to a just transition to a clean energy future for all of us.

Speakers

Kandi Mossett

Kandi Mossett (Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara), the Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN)’s Lead Organizer on its Extreme Energy and Just Transition Campaign, has emerged as a leading voice in the fight to bring visibility to the impacts climate change and environmental injustice have... Read More →

Saturday February 10, 2018 10:02am - 10:23am MST
SEEC Auditorium 4001 Discovery Drive

Broadcast National Plenary

10:25am MST

Collaborating Across Cultures

Dr. Lydia Prado will outline how a community-informed approach to mental health has always been at the core of Dahlia Campus for Health & Well-being. Her approach to community building holds communities as equal partners in discussions and development of how a project will move forward. She will discuss how community conversations were able to transform a space from an empty vacant lot into a national model in community mental health. She will explore concepts of historical context, food deserts, responsive community engagement, real-life social determinants of health, inclusivity and services across the lifespan.

Speakers

Lydia Prado

Director of Community Partnerships, Barton Institute for Philanthropy and Social Enterprise at the University of Denver

Lydia Prado grew up feeling culturally enriched, speaking both English and Spanish, and thriving in a community where she was surrounded by many talented, creative and resilient people. When she left to attend college, she was surprised to learn that the mainstream and academic view... Read More →

Saturday February 10, 2018 10:25am - 10:45am MST
SEEC Auditorium 4001 Discovery Drive

Live Local Plenary

10:30am MST

Solutions Showcase

Expo of community organizations and sustainable businesses
Sustainable Businesses:

WishGarden Herbs
Organic India
Ecoscape Environmental Design
BeeYond Gardens
EarthHero
Earth Magic Academy

Community Organizations:

Earth Guardians
Woodbine Ecology Center
Rocky Mountain Wild
Art Parts Creative Reuse Center
El Centro Amistad
Boulder Food Rescue
Ocean First Institute
Colorado Straw Bale Association
Y On Earth
Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center
Colorado Environmental Film Festival
Wildlands Restoration Volunteers
Laughing Coyote Project
Sustainable Resilient Longmont
Rocky Mountain Wolf Project
Boulder B-Cycle
Hazon
Solar Energy International
Boulder County Commisioner's Office of Sustainability
Growing Gardens
Boulder Rights of Nature
BoCo Protects
The Kiva Center

Student Groups:

Colorado Ocean Coalition at CU
INVST and Just Transition Collaborative at CU
Citizens Climate Lobby at CU
GlobeMed at CU
Climate Reality Project at CU
Environmental Studies Club at CU

Saturday February 10, 2018 10:30am - 3:30pm MST
SEEC North Hall

Networking and Nourishment Break

11:00am MST

Boundaries and Flow: Narratives and Strategies for Social Technologies

In this workshop, we'll explore the intersections of ourselves and technology. Who are we in relation to the tools we make? How do they shift as we explore our identity and the patterns of complex society? Furthermore, we'll share some strategies from social entreprenuers in the tech field. These innovators are unafraid to create scalable and marketable solutions that also push the boundaries of social accountability. Come mingle philosophical and strategic visions of what the future of technology in a just world could look like.

Speakers

Eliot Kersgaard

Eliot Kersgaard is an artist, organizer, and student-in-perpetuity based in Boulder. He graduated from CU in May 2016 with a degree in Engineering Physics. He is a founding member of Boulder Biomimicry, a bioregional organizer with the Permaculture Action Network, and the Assistant... Read More →

Swapnil Kumar

Saturday February 10, 2018 11:00am - 12:15pm MST
SEEC N126

Session

11:00am MST

Bridging Art and Science to Build the Climate Conversation

Paul Miller aka DJ Spooky will explore selections from his renowned multi-media projects including: Symphony: The Heart of A Forest - with David Haskell (Pulitzer Prize nominated author whose work on tree systems is highly influential) http://djspooky.com/heart-of-a-forest/ and The Book of Ice - about Antarctica - http://www.djspooky.com/antarctica - an open source album that has been downloaded almost a million times, based on the sound of ice in Antarctica.

Speakers

Paul Miller aka DJ Spooky

Paul Miller (aka DJ Spooky), a graduate of Bowdoin College, is a writer, artist and musician who lives and works in NYC. His award winning first book Rhythm Science was published by MIT Press in 2005, followed by Sound Unbound in 2008 and The Book of Ice in 2011. Miller's work has been exhibited at museums an... Read More →

Saturday February 10, 2018 11:00am - 12:15pm MST
SEEC S125

Session

11:00am MST

Entrepreneurial Earth: A fresh look at "green careers" as the driver of social and environmental health

In recent decades, a strong tie between social and environmental issues has been identified, and a movement for “people and planet” including the concept of “green careers” has been advanced to “connect the dots” between jobs and environmental challenges. This presentation by Martin Ogle, Founder, Entrepreneurial Earth, LLC, brings new energy, conceptual underpinnings and urgency to the task of envisioning and creating an economy characterized by work and livelihoods that nourish human beings and the living systems upon which we depend. We will explore how a new view of entrepreneurship can empower young people with tools and inspiration to create meaningful work that addresses social, environmental and deep human needs. A panel /audience discussion will help us envision new possibilities.

Speakers

Lucas Avery

Paige Doughty

Martin Ogle

Founder, Entrepreneurial Earth

Martin Ogle holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Wildlife Biology from Colorado State University and Virginia Tech, respectively. Martin was Chief Naturalist for the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority, 1985 - 2012. As part of this work, he developed solar energy and energy efficiency... Read More →

Angela Ortiz

Aaron Perry

Saturday February 10, 2018 11:00am - 12:15pm MST
SEEC S228

Session

11:00am MST

Justice: An Integral Part of Sustainability

The Eco-Social Justice team at the Environmental Center is a team of students working to raise awareness on issues of environmental, climate, and social justice on campus. In this student-led interactive workshop, we’ll introduce eco-social justice as part of environmental justice and make sense of the connections between sustainability and social justice—locally and globally. We can’t have one without the other, so how do we widen our lenses and work together across seemingly different movements?

Speakers

Michelle Gabrieloff-Parish

Energy & Climate Justice Program Manager, CU Environmental Center

Michelle Gabrieloff-Parish is the Energy & Climate Justice Manager at the University of Colorado Boulder’s Environmental Center. There, she works to illuminate the connections between sustainability and social justice while working with students and partners to reduce the university’s... Read More →

Antonio Huizar

Environmental Center

Antonio is a University of Colorado-Boulder senior undergraduate student studying International Affairs and Political Science with a minor in Leadership Studies. He is part of the Eco-Social Justice Team within CU-Boulder's Environmental Center, the nation's largest student-run environmental... Read More →

Magdalena Landa-Posas

Ajene Nicar Robinson-Burris

Briana Georjae Smith

Saturday February 10, 2018 11:00am - 12:15pm MST
SEEC N124

Session

11:00am MST

Lessons From The Eco-Social Frontlines: Practioner’s Roundtable

The Practioner’s Roundtable session brings together presenters who are deeply committed to key project or issue. The session provides a unique opportunity to vividly showcase the work of like-minded presenters and to invite practitioners and audience members to collaboratively explore synergies and “lessons learned.” Facilitated by Maria Talero. Invited presenting practitioners include: Dr. Denise E Hall, Michael James Alcazar, Kathleen Brickner, Kristal Parks, Anne Lee Foster, Emilyn Inglis, Lauren Kovsky.

Speakers

Michael James Alcazar

I am a Veteran, Permaculturist, Artist, Designer, Builder, Outdoor experiential facilitator, Movement fundamental specialist and Educator. As part of Humankind and a member of this community, I am honored to be a part of this workshop. I possess a diversity of life experiences, a... Read More →

Kathleen Brickner

Naropa University

Aloha, My name is Kathleen Brickner. I am currently an environmental studies student at Naropa University. My acadimic career has been vast but my focus for the past 8 years has been plastics and waste management. It began in a biochemistry class back in 2011 where I was instructed... Read More →

Anne Lee Foster

Colorado Rising

Dr. Denise E Hall

CEO, Mother Earth Reverence Farms & Ministries

I am an 'authentic loveservant leader', devoted to honoring and revering all relational beings; through this multi-vocational career, first based in professional veterinary medicine, and then enriched by a career in professional ministry. I am a 'global emissary ambassador veterinarian... Read More →

Emilyn Inglis

Lauren Kovsky

Kristal Parks

Kristal Parks, M.A., biologist, activist, author, contemplative, environmentalist and elephant conservationist, lived for two years as a hermit in the intimate embrace of a forest and what she learned there guides her vision. Also, she was a human shield for disappearing Mayans... Read More →

Maria Talero

Founder, Climate Courage, LLC

Maria is a native Colombian educator and facilitator with 20 years experience in designing transformative social learning environments. She believes that we jump-start deep and authentic engagement on collective action issues by fostering empathetic and trusting relationships in organizations... Read More →

Saturday February 10, 2018 11:00am - 12:15pm MST
SEEC N128

Session

12:15pm MST

Optional Lunch Discussion Tables

Join a hosted discussion table. Look for signs on tables in room 120 and in north dining hall.
Topic- Host:

Building Resilience- Chris Allan
Carbon Farming, Soil Stewardship- Elizabeth Black, Aaron William Perry
Embodiment and Environment- Maren Waldman, Greg Rulifson, Allie Caw
Deep Ecology- Kristal Parks
Community Power: Stopping Fracking on Colorado- Anne Lee Foster
Community Weaving- Beverly Grant
Biomimicry- how could your work take inspiration from nature? - Swapnil Kumar

Saturday February 10, 2018 12:15pm - 12:30pm MST
SEEC Auditorium 4001 Discovery Drive

Networking and Nourishment Break

12:15pm MST

Lunch

Taco Bar Lunch buffet is $10. Amenable to most dietary restrictions (vegan, vegetarian, gluten free). We recommend purchasing lunch buffet tickets in advance as we pre-order planned quantities so as not to create waste. Limited availability for on-site purchase. You are also welcome to bring your own bag lunch. There are no other on-site options for lunch.

Saturday February 10, 2018 12:15pm - 1:30pm MST
SEEC North Hall

Networking and Nourishment Break

1:30pm MST

Build Healthy Soil to Fight Climate Change at Home

Soil sequestration of carbon is a hopeful new strategy to combat climate change and build healthy soils. By introducing climate-friendly practices to your garden, you will become a Green-Ninja on the front lines in the battle against Climate Change. You will be able to take CO2 out of the atmosphere, store the CO2 in your soil AND improve your soil, all at the same time. We will cover the whys, how’s, research, and challenges of soil sequestration and soil health, plus conduct 2 very cool experiments comparing healthy and not-so-healthy soils. If you are curious about soil carbon sequestration or soil health and want to learn more, please join us.

Speakers

Elizabeth Black

Owner, Your neighborhood Christmas Tree Farm

Elizabeth Black lives in North Boulder with her husband Chris Brown, where she paints western landscapes and grows Christmas trees and vegetables on her teeny farm. Since watching Al Gore’s movie “An Inconvenient Truth”, she has been very concerned about climate change, and... Read More →

Saturday February 10, 2018 1:30pm - 2:45pm MST
SEEC N124

Session

1:30pm MST

Food and Racial Justice

In an era of Black Lives Matter, Standing Rock, skyrocketing living costs on the Front Range, climate chaos, and even the more glamorous Times Up movement, the connections between race, food and other social justice issues are becoming ever more evident, and perhaps more dire. Join us as we learn from inspiring, diverse change-makers making waves on the Front Range in their work on racial equity and food justice. These accomplished panelists inspire with amazing projects that have changed the social and physical landscape in Denver -- from $1.5 million-dollar greenhouses, to preventing food waste by providing low-income families with fresh healthy food, to holistic farmers markets in food deserts, ensuring college students learn in the classroom as well as in the dirt while providing produce or to juicing for low-income communities and communities of color in Denver. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Join our panelists as we explore their work and engage in a conversation about what racial and food justice could look like on the front range.

Speakers

Michelle Gabrieloff-Parish

Energy & Climate Justice Program Manager, CU Environmental Center

Beverly Grant

Mo' Betta Green

Beverly Grant is a proud Denver native and has been an entrepreneur for more than 25 years. She is dedicated to shaping food policy and broadening not only food access, but also food and nutrition literacy. Beverly founded the urban farmer’s market, Mo’ Betta Green Marketplace... Read More →

Neambe Leadon

Program Director, Denver Food Rescue

Food Access, Urban Agriculture, Community Organizing, Collectives and Collaboration, Natural Child Birth, Holistic Health, Alternative Medicine

Lydia Prado

Director of Community Partnerships, Barton Institute for Philanthropy and Social Enterprise at the University of Denver

Damien Thompson

Urban/Rural Sociology, Social Theory, Horticulture, Sister Gardens

I am an Associate Professor of Anthropology in the Department of Sociology at Regis University in Denver, Colorado. In addition to my training in anthropology I also hold a certification in Permaculture Design and a 200 hour Yoga Alliance Teaching Certification. My interests center... Read More →

Saturday February 10, 2018 1:30pm - 2:45pm MST
SEEC Auditorium 4001 Discovery Drive

Session

1:30pm MST

Green Ambassadors: Innovative Youth and Family Engagement Models to grow Change Makers

This is a hands-on workshop with Health Mobile Unit and Project Learning Tree activities for a family friendly interactive learning experience. This workshop will exemplify Promotores Verdes curriculum, stressing the intersectionality of tree health and human health, community and forest health. This workshop will engage children, youth and adults. It will feature children, youth and adult facilitators from Promotores Verdes families and U-CAN, sharing their knowledge and enthusiasm with other families.

Speakers

Zuza Bohley

deputy director, education director for Promotores Verdes, Americas for Conservation + the Arts

Franklin Cruz

Danielle Oskt

Fernando Pindea-Reyes

FERNANDO PINEDA-REYES, Executive DirectorUniversidad Nacional Autónoma de México B.S. 1995 Clinical Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical ChemistryAs a native of Mexico and founder of CREA Results Fernando has more than 15 years experience working in asset-based community development... Read More →

Irene Vilar

IRENE VILAR is an award winning author and Guggenheim fellow, publisher, environmental activist, and founder of the Colorado based nonprofit Americas for Conservation + the Arts 501(c)(3) with national and international reach. Vilar serves on the Governor’s appointed board of the... Read More →

Saturday February 10, 2018 1:30pm - 2:45pm MST
SEEC S228

Session

1:30pm MST

Should Rivers Have Rights? Case Study: Colorado River vs. State of Colorado

The American legal system can take a good step toward protecting us all – human and nonhuman alike – by granting ecosystems like the Colorado River rights and allowing communities to sue on these ecosystems’ behalf. When standing is recognized on behalf of ecosystems themselves, environmental law will reflect a conception of legal “causation” that is more friendly to the natural world than it is to the corporations destroying the natural world. At a time when the effects of technology are outpacing science’s capacity to research these effects, injured individuals and communities often have difficulty proving that corporate actions are the cause of their injuries.

Speakers

Fred Gibson, PhD

Core Member, Colorado River Rights of Nature

Fred Gibson is an organizational psychologist working to enhance the effectiveness of groups dedicated to preserving the natural world, especially in the American Southwest. In addition to serving as a core member of Colorado River Rights of Nature, Fred is a Board Member of Prairie... Read More →

Saturday February 10, 2018 1:30pm - 2:45pm MST
SEEC N126

Session

1:30pm MST

Social Psychology and Storytelling: Lessons From The Frontlines of Climate Communication

In the U.S. today, there is a mind-boggling disconnect between widespread climate denial and the dire warnings of climate scientists as they track the impact of climate change and global warming around the world. There are some very solid reasons for this disconnect, rooted in human psychology. "Cultural cognition" research reveals the dominant political stories (narratives) in our society that are responsible for widespread denial of evidence on many social issues, not just climate change. This workshop will help you identify these deep political stories wherever you encounter them - at work, among friends and family, or in the policy-making sphere. We'll look closely at why they explain more than a simple "left vs. right" lens, and then we'll practice challenging their dominance by crafting our own authentic, personal narratives and stories. This will be a highly interactive workshop with plenty of visual aids, small-group discussion and hands-on practice.

Speakers

Maria Talero

Founder, Climate Courage, LLC

Saturday February 10, 2018 1:30pm - 2:45pm MST
SEEC N128

Session

3:00pm MST

Youth Leadership Keynote

This luminous 17-year-old Chiricahua Apache change-maker from San Carlos, AZ, co-leads the Apache Stronghold group to defend her people's sacred sites, tribal sovereignty, culture and language.

Speakers

Naelyn Pike

Naelyn Pike (Chiricahua Apache), 17, a high school senior from San Carlos, AZ, passionate about her culture, identity, and tribal sovereignty, has become an internationally renowned Indigenous Rights and environmental leader. She co-leads (with her grandfather Wedsler Nosie Sr. and... Read More →

Saturday February 10, 2018 3:00pm - 3:10pm MST
SEEC Auditorium 4001 Discovery Drive

Broadcast National Plenary

3:10pm MST

We the People: Workers Rising for Fair Wages

Before the election, workers were already rising up all over the country and have continued to do so even more now, joining the campaign for “One Fair Wage,” demanding higher wages and the elimination of lower wages for tipped workers. The movement helped torpedo Trump's first Secretary of Labor nominee and is ramping up the fight for a $15/hour national minimum wage. Innovative, award-winning labor leader Saru Jayaraman says that, if we join together, we can end economic inequality in America. Director of the Food Labor Research Center at UC Berkeley, Saru co-founded the Restaurant Opportunities Centers United, which has more than 25,000 worker members, 200 employer partners, and thousands of consumer members in a dozen states nationwide.

Speakers

Saru Jayaraman

Saru Jayaraman, the award-winning Co-Director of the Restaurant Opportunities Centers United (ROC-United), Director of the Food Labor Research Center at UC, Berkeley, and author of Behind the Kitchen Door and Forked: A New Standard for American Dining, co-founded ROC after 9/11 with... Read More →

Saturday February 10, 2018 3:10pm - 3:40pm MST
SEEC Auditorium 4001 Discovery Drive

Broadcast National Plenary

3:40pm MST

Co-Creating Alternative Spaces to Heal

Racialized violence injures all of us-not just those who are being "othered" but also those who perpetuate that "othering." These painful injuries happen on many levels, including on the individual, structural, and societal spheres, so healing must also happen on many levels, but we can't truly heal these deep wounds while the injuries are still being perpetuated. Professor john a. powell, one of the world's most important thinkers and scholars on civil and human rights, Director of the Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society at U.C. Berkeley, explores how we can better understand the spaces we currently inhabit and strategize to co-create alternative spaces where real healing can truly begin.

Speakers

john a. powell

john a. powell, Director of the Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society at UC Berkeley, previously Executive Director of the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity at Ohio State, has taught at numerous universities and law schools including at Harvard and Columbia... Read More →

Saturday February 10, 2018 3:40pm - 4:07pm MST
SEEC Auditorium 4001 Discovery Drive

Broadcast National Plenary

4:30pm MST

Ancient Future : Revolutionizing Ancestral Wisdom

Healing herbs have not changed since the time they were first used by herbalists who were expected to know what each specific herb was used for in order to apply their knowledge correctly. The information is passed down from generation to generation. Herbs were so important to our ancestors that they became a part of religious rituals and were highly valued. Today we can see all the different successful and unsuccessful use of herbs. There are many ways to use herbs and they’re easy to grow even if you live in a small apartment because they’re small enough to pose as house plants. We will be discussing the importance of growing your own medicinal plants at home which will be used to create your own healing remedies. We will give an overview of the different extraction and infusion techniques that can be done in your home.

Speakers

Ewket Assefa

Growing up in Ethiopia where plant medicine and localized agriculture are an inherent part of the culture, Ewket was being influenced by her grandmother whom was herbal healer. After moving to the US to pursue higher education, she realized that American food lacked nutritional value... Read More →

Saturday February 10, 2018 4:30pm - 5:45pm MST
SEEC N128

Session

4:30pm MST

Aquaponic Urban Farm Case Study

Denver's cottage food act allows residents to product food for sale in their communities. We worked with a home owner in Denver to build a 13' x 22' aquaponic greenhouse in his backyard to run as a small hobby farm business. This presentation will review what the owner's goals and objectives were and then focus on how the aquaponic system was designed, it's layout, energy consumption, fish and plant production, and how his small farm business is expected to perform financially. In addition, we will discuss the important elements that influence small farm profitability.

Speakers

JD Sawyer

Colorado Aquaponics and The Aquaponics Source

JD Sawyer founded Colorado Aquaponics in 2009 and has been researching, developing and operating aquaponic systems ever since. He is now the CEO of Avolve Inc. (dba The Aquaponic Source). The Aquaponic Source is the largest retailer of aquaponic systems, supplies and educational materials... Read More →

Saturday February 10, 2018 4:30pm - 5:45pm MST
SEEC N126

Session

4:30pm MST

Baubo: Decolonize Your Medicine

Baubo is a collective of three womyn dedicated to curating experiences that unite music, medicine, and education. This workshop/ performance will shed light on the ability of song, movement and earth stewardship to heal relationships with internal and external ecosystems. They scheme, dream and sing decolonized medicine. Expect heart, soul and hands on participation.

Speakers

Olivia Blu

Singer Songwriter

Olivia Blu is a singer-songwriter, agroecologist, seed saver and student of herbalism born and raised in Denver. Her songs weave scientific information and messages of social justice into poetry with the intention of provoking urgency and curiosity around issues such as climate change... Read More →

Eutimia Cruz

Eutimia Cruz Montoya is a contemporary medicine woman born and raised in Denver within indigenous american ceremony and ritual ways. She is a Stanford-trained anthropologist, licensed acupuncturist and herbalist. Eutimia is also a talented and soulful performer. She considers the... Read More →

Pardees Goshtasb

Pardees Goshtasb is a first-generation Iranian-American creative who grew up in Buffalo, NY and carries with her the world-embracing ideals of the Baha’i Faith. She has been drawn to the mystical realm of arts and music her entire life. Pardees has always had close ties to the community... Read More →

Saturday February 10, 2018 4:30pm - 5:45pm MST
SEEC S125

Session

4:30pm MST

Introduction to Theory U: Leading from the Emerging Future

Want to learn tools to lead and communicate more effectively? Want to build a network of local changemakers? The world’s most pressing environmental and social challenge is the inability to break habits of thought and belief that make implementing the most visionary solutions impossible. In this 90-minute session, participants will be introduced to Theory U through a “case-clinic” where we will use the Theory U model to answer current challenges facing our communities. Ultimately, Theory U is a pathway to transforming business, society, and self by learning to deepen the quality of awareness, attention, or consciousness from which the participants operate. Theory U emerged from MIT’s renowned Presencing Institute and has been piloted by over 90,000 people in 180 Countries. It presently forms a core decision making process for the governments of Scotland and the Netherlands.

Speakers

James Edwards

Educator & Facilitator

Emma Ruffin

Director // Founder, Boulder.Earth // Desert Raven Design

Emma Ruffin is a wearer of many hats: as the founder and head “Scribe” of Desert Raven Design, she embodies deep listening, presence and co-creation—allowing the collective intelligence of groups to emerge, which she then captures in storyboard form, transforming meetings and... Read More →

Saturday February 10, 2018 4:30pm - 5:45pm MST
SEEC S228

Session

4:30pm MST

Struggles for Land, Housing, Food, and Environmental Justice in the Gentrifying City

In 2004, the world’s population shifted from majority rural to majority urban. By 2050, the United Nations predicts, 66% of the global population will reside in urban areas. Just, equitable and environmentally regenerative urbanization is key to the future of humanity. Yet cities today are sites of profound and growing inequality and environmental degradation. Spurred by the global phenomenon of gentrification and an infinite growth economic system, future prospects of sustainable cities are indeed grim. This panel is comprised of food, housing, and environmental justice academics and community activists working towards envisioning and implementing strategies of verdantly abundant cities for the benefit of people and planet.

Speakers

Candi CDeBaca

Workshop Presenter, NA

Candi CdeBaca is Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director of Project VOYCE, Reviver & Member of Cross Community Coalition and Founder & Principal of Rebel Soul Strategies. She is a community advocate in her home community of Northeast Denver, a graduate of Manual High School and the... Read More →

Constance Gordon

Constance is a PhD Candidate and Instructor of Rhetoric and Culture at the University of Colorado Boulder. Broadly she studies food and environmental justice, critical geographies of dispossession, urban development and ecologies, and community-based advocacy. Constance is currently... Read More →

Stephen Polk

Naropa University

Stephen Polk, MA, assistant professor, Environmental Studies BA and MA Resilient Leadership programs, Naropa University.Stephen Polk, MA. Stephen is a 16 year social and ecological activist based in the Denver Metro area. He received his MA from the University of Colorado Denver in... Read More →

Isaac Rivera

Isaac Rivera is a Graduate Research Fellow at the Fourth World Center for the Study of Indigenous Law and Politics, and assistant at the Facility for Advanced Spatial Technology (FAST) at the University of Colorado Denver. As a graduate student in geography, Isaac’s research interests... Read More →

Saturday February 10, 2018 4:30pm - 5:45pm MST
SEEC N124

Session

6:00pm MST

Feature Event: Climbing PoeTree performance

Climbing PoeTree’s acclaimed performance is composed of dual-voice poems, unconventional hip hop, and multi-media theater that exposes injustice, and makes a better future visible and irresistible. With flawless cadence and impeccable lyricism, Alixa and Naima weave together their voices to tell powerful stories of love and liberation, state and personal violence, social and environmental justice, race, gender, and sexuality, and human transcendence.

Note: Parking is free starting at 6pm.

Additional Event: Climbing PoeTree Workshop for CU Students, Sunday 12-4pm. Register in Advance: https://cucpworkshop.eventbrite.com

Speakers

Climbing PoeTree

Over the last 13 years, Climbing PoeTree has infused our movements for justice with healing and imagination, inspiring thousands through their award-winning multimedia theater, dual-voice spoken word, visual art, sustainable touring, and community organizing. Co-creators Alixa Garcia... Read More →

Saturday February 10, 2018 6:00pm - 7:30pm MST
SEEC Auditorium 4001 Discovery Drive

Live Local Plenary